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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (28 April) . . Page.. 101 ..
MR CORBELL (continuing):
The strength of self-referral is seen not just in this parliament but also in the Federal Parliament. I want to draw a comparison between the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate has a self-referral process and the power of Senate committees to investigate, to inquire, and to report independently on issues of concern to the community, without reference to the chamber itself, has allowed the Senate to become a very significant chamber for genuine legislative reform and legislative amendment. In contrast, the House of Representatives does not allow its committees self-referral and you will find, time and again, that the committees of that place investigate and report on only issues which the Government deems acceptable to it.
Debate interrupted.
MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 5.00 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Humphries: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
Establishment
Debate resumed.
MR CORBELL: You can see a very clear contrast on the significance of self-referral in the Federal Parliament. One chamber has it; another chamber does not. One chamber acts as a rubber stamp for the Executive; one chamber does not. Self-referral means that the committees cannot be held to ransom by a majority of this place who believe it is not appropriate to investigate a particular issue.
Mr Speaker, I must add that it is perhaps evidence of the ill haste with which this whole proposal on committee structure has been put before us that this issue has not been considered until the Labor Party raised it at this hour. Obviously, the proposers and the supporters of this proposal have not even considered the significance of deleting the power of self-referral. It only underlines the Labor Party's concerns about the way this matter has been handled. It has been handled with purely political motives in mind, with no real consideration given to, and certainly no respect for, the powers of this Assembly to inquire into and respond to what is only an advisory report.
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